Large organizations have requirements for well-defined and effective Information Technology (IT) governance. Frequently, IT executives are tasked with various responsibilities to improve the organization's productivity. Some of these organizational requirements are balancing demand from varying sets of business customers, maintaining alignment with overall business objectives, delivering global stability while providing localized value, and delivering value within financial and resource constraints. Many executives meet their organization requirements through established project management practices.
Traditional project management is a discipline that helps organizations to effectively realize business value by delivering projects and programs on time and within budget. A project is a temporary effort with a defined beginning and end (constrained by a variety of resources) undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives. A project's goal is to usually bring about beneficial change or added value to the organization. The temporary nature of the project stands in contrast with the repetitive and continued production-oriented nature of business. In practice, the management of these two systems is often found to be quite different. As a result, the management of a project requires the development of distinct technical skills and the adoption of separate management practices.
One way IT leaders meet project management goals is through the deployment and utilization of employee collaboration efforts across their organization. Modern employee collaboration efforts include multitude of resources, one of which is enhanced work participation through project applications. Project applications deliver powerful, visually enhanced ways to effectively manage a wide range of projects and programs. From meeting critical deadlines to selecting the right resources and empowering employees, project applications offer easier and more intuitive experiences to simplify production and to realize improved results.